Sky's the Limit
by Stelena-Beautiful
Summary: Steffy remembers, and then tries to ready herself for the future. A Steffy-centric one shot. Mentions of Liam. Thanks for reading!


_**Steffy remembers what was and starts to ready herself for what can be, in the future. Just a wandering one shot to give Steffy fans like me some hope that she can be happy one day, even without Liam.**_

**Sky's the Limit**

She stood in front of the full-length mirror slowly running a brush through her thick chestnut locks. She felt the tug of the strands as the bristles moved through her hair but that was about all she felt when she looked at herself right now. She wore a silky, wine-colored dress that hugged her curves in all the right places and yet she felt no appreciation for the gown her grandfather had hand-crafted just for her. Her thoughts were too far away for that. Her thoughts were back in L.A., where they were too often these days.

_**I remember L.A.**_

_**Seems a lifetime ago**_

_**We were stars on Sunset Boulevard**_

_**What a movie we made**_

_She and Liam were a fireball that burned so brightly for a time;_ she mused as she set down the brush and moved back over to her desk by the window. Her footsteps seemed to lead her there by their own volition. It had been two days since she had received Liam's video all about his memories of the two of them and she had watched it more times than she should have. She slipped into the chair and shook the mouse to bring the monitor to life. She clicked the video on her desktop, the one simply labeled "Steffy".

She sat stiffly in the chair for a moment as the opening strains of "their" song began to play. By the time the song had faded away and Liam began to speak, her body had slackened in the chair. She felt so heavy and weightless all at the same time. Her whole body was remembering everything Liam mentioned – and so much more.

She remembered laughter and tears, lovemaking before breakfast, hot showers and cold morning runs along the beach. She could almost taste the salt of the ocean on her lips as she remembered them dancing and frolicking in the crashing surf. She could perfectly visualize the way his eyes darkened with desire every time their bodies joined as one. She could feel the thrill of exhilaration as they road down the coast highway, his legs and arms wrapped around her as they zipped between cars in standstill traffic. She could imagine his calloused fingers on her face, tracing her lips. She remembered every word they had ever said to each other.

Her eyes drifted closed as she heard Liam's last words on the video echo in her mind. _"You'll always be my very best friend, Steffy Forrester."_

They had been best friends, it was true. That's probably what made letting him go so difficult. She wasn't losing a husband, or a lover simply, she was losing her very best _everything_. For all the things she loved best about him, it was the way she could just _be_ with him that she loved most.

_**There were days in the sun**_

_**That have stayed forever young**_

_**Nights when passion was invincible**_

_**We thought love would never die**_

She never had believed – had never _wanted_ to believe – that they would actually end. She felt like she had been born to love him. She had thought she could make it last but in the end, they weren't meant to be. Losing their baby had proved that, right? Her unable to give him another child had ensured it, right? Sometimes things weren't meant to be. Sometimes_ people_ weren't meant to be together. She had realized that and sent him the annulment papers because of it. She didn't want to hold him hostage anymore when his heart simply didn't beat for her the way hers did for him.

A single tear trickled down her cheek and she dabbed at it just as she felt two hands come to lightly rest on her shoulders. She leaned back into her mother's familiar grasp. "Are you alright, Steffy?" Taylor asked.

Steffy didn't know how to answer. She didn't trust herself to speak at first. She felt Taylor massaging her shoulders now. "You don't have to go tonight, Steffy. There's still time to cancel."

Steffy sighed and lightly eased out of her mother's reach. She planted her stocking-clad feet firmly on the floor and then stood up. She turned to face Taylor, whose face was soft with concern and empathy. "No I told Emil that I would go out with him tonight. I am going to go," Steffy said determinedly.

"Steffy, you've had an extremely difficult year. Your marriage just ended. If you need time…"

"I just need to move on," Steffy said quietly. "Some part of me will always love Liam but we want different things and I'm trying to accept that. Besides, Emil is such a catch…"

"There will be other nights, other dates. If you need a night to yourself, no one would begrudge you that."

"I know, Mom," Steffy said. "I just can't sit in this chateau every night feeling sorry for myself. Emil makes me feel good about myself. Plus, he's handsome and he's successful… The best part is that I don't have to share him with anyone. At least not that I know of."

"You don't love Emil. Certainly not the way that you love Liam."

_**There were moments in that lifetime**_

_**That my heart still replays**_

_**There were minutes, there were hours,**_

_**There were days**_

_**There are moments I still love you**_

_**That same way**_

_**When I remember L.A.**_

"I don't know Emil well enough to love him, Mom. We've only been out twice and I'm not rushing into anything. I'm taking it one day at a time. Liam was … everything. But it's over. It's over and I am accepting that and moving on."

"So that's why you keep replaying the video he sent you?" Taylor asked. "It's okay to not be ready. It's only been a few months, Steffy, since you left Los Angeles and Liam."

"A lot has changed in that time though."

"Well yes, Liam is back with Hope. But I know a word from you could change that. I know he still loves you and always will."

Steffy shook her head. "Mom, stop it, okay? Please. I love Liam but I know it's over. Sometimes I just need a moment to – well, to put it all in perspective. I don't want to be eighty someday, still pining over Liam. I don't want to be alone forever."

"I am just trying to say that you don't have to move on all in one day."

"I know that. Dinner with Emil is just that. _Dinner._ I'm making no promises or vows to him right now. I'm definitely not rushing into anything." Steffy offered her mother her biggest attempt at a smile. It felt forced but one had to fake it until they made it, right?

"Steffy-"

"Mom, please. Please try to support me moving on, okay? I need all the help I can get here."

Taylor nodded. "Of course. I support you in everything, in every way."

Steffy smiled, this time it felt a little watery but a bit more sincere. She threw her arms around Taylor's slim shoulders and gave her a firm hug which Taylor returned. They were both teary-eyed when they pulled apart. "What do you need, baby?" Taylor asked.

"Can I uh, borrow your ruby necklace? It would probably look great with this dress."

"Of course. I'll go get it right now." Taylor reached out and squeezed Steffy's hand and then hurried from the room. Steffy sighed and moved over to the walk-in closet. She went inside and retrieved a pair of Lou Boutin high heels and stepped into them.

She walked back over to the mirror to take in the full effect. She looked more put-together than she felt but she would get there someday, she hoped.

Just then her cell buzzed to life. She reached for it and saw that she had a text message. From Liam. She swallowed hard as she opened it and its attachment. There was a picture of the Los Angeles skyline at day break. Likely he had taken it from the balcony of his beach house. The note with it simply said, _"The sky's the limit."_

Steffy smiled then as she tucked the phone into her clutch handbag. She turned around as Taylor reentered the room, carrying the ruby necklace.

"Are you okay?" Taylor asked.

"I will be," Steffy said. "I will be okay. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but eventually. I am going to look back from time to time, of course, but I know it's not going to ache so much someday. I may falter but I'm not going to break, Mom."

A tear slid down Taylor's cheek and she nodded. "You're not going to break because you're stronger than anyone I've ever known. I admire you, Steffy. You have the kind of courage I never had."

Steffy didn't say anything. She just closed the distance between her and her mother and tugged Taylor into another embrace. "We'll be okay, Mom. Both of us, okay? I believe that. I really do. The sky's the limit," Steffy whispered.

_**A/N: Thanks for reading! I love Steffy and hope I did her justice in this one shot.**_


End file.
